Detective Vance: What was inside the box, Maria?
Maria: It popped open when it hit the ground. Inside were dozens of cash envelopes, offshore bank account keys, and Toby's real adoption papers.
Detective Vance: Adoption papers? Richard Sterling claims Toby is his biological son.
Maria: He's not. Toby is the biological son of Richard's late brother, David Sterling. David left his entire real estate empire to Toby before he died five years ago.
Detective Vance leaned against the wall, taking notes rapidly.
Detective Vance: So Richard and Mindy were acting as trustees of the estate until Toby turned eighteen?
Maria: Yes. But if Toby didn't survive... the entire trust fund would automatically revert to Richard.
The room fell dead silent as the horror of Maria's words settled in[cite: 1]. The door to the hospital room suddenly burst open, and Richard walked in, flanked by two high-priced corporate defense lawyers[cite: 1].
Richard: Detective, what is the meaning of this interrogation?! My employee is in no condition to be answering questions without legal representation!
Detective Vance: She isn't a suspect, Mr. Sterling. She's a witness.
Mindy: A witness to what?! She's a maid who works for minimum wage! She doesn't know anything about our family!
Maria: I know that you locked Toby's bedroom door from the outside before you ran out of the house, Mindy.
Mindy froze, her face turning bright red as she glared at the maid[cite: 1].
Mindy: You lie! The lock must have jammed from the heat!
Maria: The key was still sitting in the keyhole on the hallway side when I got up there. I had to kick the knob three times to burst it open.
Richard: This is ridiculous! Detective, I want this woman removed from my son's room immediately!
Detective Vance: Mr. Sterling, my forensic team has already retrieved the charred iron box from the second-floor master bedroom ruin[cite: 1].
Richard's jaw tightened, his eyes darting toward his lawyers, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable[cite: 1].
Richard: That box is private property! You have no warrant to open it!
Detective Vance: We didn't need a warrant to open it, sir. The fire melted the latch, and the contents were exposed at the crime scene. We've already verified the bank receipts inside.